Blog Archives

Francis & Rose Cree (TM Ojibwe Elders))

12/28/2017

Rose and Francis Cree were highly respected Ojibwe elders on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in north central North Dakota. As is the case with many elders, their lives reflect the intersection of artistic skill, tribal knowledge, and cultural authority. The Crees collaborated in making willow baskets, both collecting the materials, while Francis maked the frames from ash and Rose weaved the willows. Both were also storytellers and keepers of Ojibwe cultural knowledge.

Francis Cree (Eagle Heart) was born in 1920 or 1921. He died on 27 June 2007 aged 86.

Francis Cree was a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and was of Ojibwe, Cree, and Assiniboine ancestry. He and his wife Rose were often described as "two of the handful of full-blooded Ojibwes still left" at Turtle Mountain. He and Rose were married for 64 years.

Rose Cree was born Mindimooye Ginew Ikwe in on 21 July 1921 to Thomas Machipiness and Pearl Little Boy. She died on 13th January 2004 aged 82. She attended boarding school in Fort Totten, ND. At 18, she returned home to the Turtle Mountains. She had more than 130 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren. She had many adopted children.

She once said in an interview, "I had seven girls, seven boys. Now these young ones, my son's kids, my daughter's kids they have kids, then their children have kids. It's four generations anyway." I guess there are plenty of Crees to carry on this line!

Miigwich!

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Metis Idenity: Sharing Traditional Knowledge & Healing

12/21/2017

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This article is dedicated to the memory of Marion Larkman who passed away peacefully on December 18, 2006. She was born on May 19, 1926 on the Curve Lake First Nations Reserve and raised on a Métis settlement at Burleigh Falls, Ontario. Marion was a trapper, served in the military during the Second World War, and was a mother of twelve children and an active member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. In recent years, Marion dedicated her energies to preserving and protecting Métis history, values, traditions and pride in Métis arts and culture.

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Turtle Mountain (Manitoba) Elder Stories

12/21/2017

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During the summer of 2009, the Turtle Mountain-Souris Plains Heritage Association conducted interviews among elders of the Turtle Mountain Metis community.

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JT Shining Oneside, Elder from Turtle Mountain

12/21/2017

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North Dakota Native American Essential Understanding 1: Sacred Relatives Native people practice a deep interconnectedness with the land, the resources, the water, all living things and all human beings. Land stewardship, respect for all 2 legged, 4 legged, winged, crawlers and swimmers and a strong belief in the sacredness of all human beings are key elements of our spirituality. To learn more about the North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings and to see more interviews with North Dakota Native Elders and educators, visit http://teachingsofourelders.org/